“Fairy tales can come true
It can happen to you when you’re young at heart….
And if you should survive to 105
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart”
Frank Sinatra could have been singing about Eva, when he crooned out the lyrics from “Young at Heart”. At 105 her smile is bright, her memory is sharp, her endurance takes our breath away (she still rides the NuStep Cross Trainer 40 minutes a day and then does 20 minutes of arm exercises), she is more beautiful than ever and she has one of the youngest hearts we know!
Eva was born on June 27, 1912. She is petite in stature but, the history and experiences that she has seen is greater than anyone else that we know. In her lifetime she has seen two World Wars, a man walk on the moon, the apparitions of Fatima, innumerable medical advances, 18 presidents and 9 popes and many, many more inestimable historical events, inventions and advances.
In honor of her milestone birthday, we had a double celebration. On Tuesday, June 27, Eva’s family joined her for Mass and gathered around a specially decorated table in the dining room. Eva, grinned from ear-to-ear as everyone wished her a Happy Birthday. A pink cake with candles was presented to her as everyone in the packed dining room sang Happy Birthday to her.
The celebration continued on Sunday, July 2 when Eva’s son, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas (Diocese of Tucson, AZ) officiated at Mass in our Chapel. A fun fact we discovered; Arizona became a state in 1912 – the year Eva was born. After Mass the family gathered in the auditorium for a another birthday party! Eva looked so happy to be surrounded by her family and when we sang happy birthday, the ear-to-ear grin reappeared.
Happy birthday Eva; may you have many more… with the Little Sisters of the Poor!
Happy 105th Birthday Eva!